Feeling VERY Incompetent

looking for work · Jan 16, 2017

Hi kyfitch...years ago I was in nursing school and the clinical rotations were basically a huge waste of time. The nurses on the units refused to allow us to do anything meaningful, and we were basically diaper changers, bed bath/ and bed makers, assigned to one or two patients for the six hours that we had to be there. The only real skill we actually learned was taking vital signs. New nurses learn how to be nurses by the experiences they have on the job, not the clinical rotations at school. That being said, I feel sorry for you being a guy in this field. We only had one or two guys in my nursing classes and they were failed out unfairly by bully nurse instructors. I will not lie to you. You have an uphill battle waiting for you because jobs are so hard to find, and most hospitals are either laying off, or only hiring per diems. Its really hard to get your foot in the door, and I only hope that when you get that first job, it is the right place with the right people. I have too often stepped into "frying pan" jobs that were cesspools of harassment and bullying from the start, and did not last long or well. Where are you? Here in PA there are too many nurses, thus the job market really sucks.

kyfitch, BSN · Jan 16, 2017

Hello, looking for work. Thanks for the reply. I live in Michigan, and I am hoping to be able to get a job in Grand Rapids, MI once I finish nursing school. I keep hearing about how much nurses get treated horribly, and I know it will happen to me for the reasons explained previously. I just really hope that I can learn quickly enough to not be harassed and keep my job.

Sour Lemon · Jan 16, 2017

So, I am now in my very last semester of my BSN program, and now is the time that I am preparing for the NCLEX as well as creating a solid resume to apply for jobs. The problem is, I feel VERY inadequate and not confident at all in what I have "supposedly" learned while in school, and the skills that I have "supposedly" been shown in clinical rotations. I feel like basic knowledge that I should have a grasp of I just simply don't know. I honestly believe that if I were to pass the NCLEX, any institution that hired me in would immediately fire me after seeing how incredibly incompetent I am. I know that we aren't supposed to know everything as a new grad, and I also know that minor mistakes will be made. However, I also know that basic knowledge is expected and I really don't feel like I'm anywhere near prepared as far as knowledge base or clinical skills goes in order to be able to practice. Can anyone please give me some advice on what I should do in this situation? I do not want to be "that guy" when I become a new nurse on the floor.

If that's your real picture, you should probably change it. It's never great to ever have your real picture on this type of message board, but it's even worse if you want to vent about your perceived incompetence.

Skills are typically strengthened after one starts working. The average nursing student simply doesn't have enough opportunity for enough experience to become stellar.

roser13, ASN, RN · Jan 16, 2017

Hi kyfitch...years ago I was in nursing school and the clinical rotations were basically a huge waste of time. The nurses on the units refused to allow us to do anything meaningful, and we were basically diaper changers, bed bath/ and bed makers, assigned to one or two patients for the six hours that we had to be there. The only real skill we actually learned was taking vital signs. New nurses learn how to be nurses by the experiences they have on the job, not the clinical rotations at school. That being said, I feel sorry for you being a guy in this field. We only had one or two guys in my nursing classes and they were failed out unfairly by bully nurse instructors. I will not lie to you. You have an uphill battle waiting for you because jobs are so hard to find, and most hospitals are either laying off, or only hiring per diems. Its really hard to get your foot in the door, and I only hope that when you get that first job, it is the right place with the right people. I have too often stepped into "frying pan" jobs that were cesspools of harassment and bullying from the start, and did not last long or well. Where are you? Here in PA there are too many nurses, thus the job market really sucks.

OP, this poster has been dispensing doom & gloom all afternoon. Please disregard.

To your feelings of inadequacy: don't you think we ALL felt that way at first?! What helps when you start your very first orientation is to have a mantra: "Today is only my first day. There is no way that I will be responsible for anything more serious than signing my name 2 dozen times in Orientation. I wil survive today."

As Orientation & Preception proceeds, you will always be able to find something that "won't" be expected of you yet, but you will also likely find yourself more & more eager to take on new responsibilities.

looking for work · Jan 16, 2017

OP, this poster has been dispensing doom & gloom all afternoon. Please disregard.
To your feelings of inadequacy: don't you think we ALL felt that way at first?! What helps when you start your very first orientation is to have a mantra: "Today is only my first day. There is no way that I will be responsible for anything more serious than signing my name 2 dozen times in Orientation. I wil survive today."
As Orientation & Preception proceeds, you will always be able to find something that "won't" be expected of you yet, but you will also likely find yourself more & more eager to take on new responsibilities.

ummm sorry roser13, but I am a realist, not a cheerleader at a pep rally. I had no access to these internet comment forums when I made the decision to go to nursing school. Wish I had. My decision was made due to the fake propoganda that there was a dire nursing shortage, loads of fake "sign on bonuses" appearing in the classified sections, and the overall feeling that if you were a good person, a smart person and a hard worker you would be able to excel in this field. I was mislead, and now I have a ton of debt that I cannot pay off. I have been made miserable by the profession itself. I have given 200% on every shift I ever worked and got back nothing but aggravation, verticle/horizontal bullying, a lack of even basic respect from co-workers or superiors, and found myself constantly changing jobs because of the hell hole environments that no sane person can tolerate. Sorry its not all rainbows and butterflies. On the upside, I met some truly wonderful people who experienced the same abuse as I did, left their jobs, and then left the entire profession. I keep meeting more and more people who have left nursing behind, have transitioned to lower pay work to save their sanity, and those who stay in it out of sheer fiancial necessity and nothing else. A fellow nurse co-worker told me that she refused to pay for her kid's education if she chose nursing. Another realist. The truth hurts, but it is necessary.

kyfitch, BSN · Jan 16, 2017

I really appreciate all of your viewpoints. All of them are helping to make a better and more real outlook on what is to come. Also, thank you Sour Lemon for mentioning that. Never would have even thought about the picture needing to be changed.

Boomer MS, RN · Jan 16, 2017

OP, this poster has been dispensing doom & gloom all afternoon. Please disregard.
To your feelings of inadequacy: don't you think we ALL felt that way at first?! What helps when you start your very first orientation is to have a mantra: "Today is only my first day. There is no way that I will be responsible for anything more serious than signing my name 2 dozen times in Orientation. I wil survive today."
As Orientation & Preception proceeds, you will always be able to find something that "won't" be expected of you yet, but you will also likely find yourself more & more eager to take on new responsibilities.

To Kyfitch,

Please heed these words from roser13, ASN. You are going to be a new grad...period. Every new grad starts at the same place. Take it one step at a time. No one expects a new grad to be competent. Even an experienced nurse navigates a learning curve, sometimes steep, when changing specialties. Are you familiar with Patricia Benner's description of the phases a new nurse goes through to become competent and then an expert?

I hope you get a good preceptor or several good preceptors. You're there to learn. Some day you may be precepting a new grad yourself, and you'll look back on your early perceptions. Men are a welcome addition to nursing. Good luck.

kyfitch, BSN · Jan 16, 2017

Thank you Boomer MS, that means a lot. I'm not familiar with Patricia Benner's description of the phases but I will check them out. Believe me, I really hope I get a good preceptor too. That's all I have been wanting. I want to learn without feeling like I'm under fire constantly.

lhflanurseNP, APRN · Jan 17, 2017

OP, the fact that you question your "ability" is admirable! No one fresh out of school knows/experienced everything whether you are a nurse, nurse practitioner, physician, teacher, lawyer...the list goes on. School provides the bare minimum to pass the boards associated with the degree. You actual learning begins in your clinical rotations as well as your first few years of practice. I am always leary when someone "knows it all" during, right after, and even with experience. Medicine is constantly changing...no one can know everything! You will do just fine!

Boomer MS, RN · Jan 17, 2017

Thank you Boomer MS, that means a lot. I'm not familiar with Patricia Benner's description of the phases but I will check them out. Believe me, I really hope I get a good preceptor too. That's all I have been wanting. I want to learn without feeling like I'm under fire constantly.

For your information, here's a link. She is often quoted in nursing theory classes.

Patricia Benner's From Novice to Expert

kyfitch, BSN · Jan 17, 2017

Thank you Ihflanurse!!!!